Horse-collar coupling



v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AMos D. SHEPARD, E CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNoR oE yONE-HALE To WILLIAM YERGIN, oF woosTEIt, oHIo.

HORSE-COLLAR CouPLlNe.'V

SPECIFICATION forming part,of Letters Patent No. 244,490, dated July 19, 1881.

.application filed April 8, 1881. (No model.)

'To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMOs D. SHEPARD, of

f Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ot' Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse-Collar Couplings, of which the following, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the two parts constituting the coupling. Fig. 2 is alike representation, showing the shell of one of the parts broken away sufficiently to show the parts therein. Fig. 3 is a back view, enlarged, of one of the parts. Fig.' tis a section in the plane of the line wa' of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a perspective, showing` the prior art as to form and construction of couplings of theclass to which my inventio relates.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invention relates chiefly to the means employed for locking the parts of the shell of `The shell shown in Fig. 5 is intended to be al ways open at its outer ends, excepting when the ends of the collar are inserted therein.

B is a tongue projecting from the outer face of the plate a. The corners ot' this tongue are beveled, as shown at b, and b b are notches in the ends ofthe said tongue.

C is a slot in the plate a. This slot is adapted and arranged to receive the tongueB snugly.

D D are angular or bent levers or catches, pivoted at theirangles to theinner face of the plate a, as indicated at c c.

F F are springs bearing against the short arms of the catches D D, and c c' are stops against which the long arms oi' the said catches are thus held yieldingly, or against which they rest.

G is a slide projecting freely through the side of the part A of the shell. The inner end of this slide is slotted or pierced to receive the ends of the long arms of the catches D D, which have some play therein, as indicated at d. The slide G, therefore, if pushed in, will spread or move the short ends of the catches D D from each other, and when the said slide is released it and the said catches will be thrown back to their original positions,owing to the action of the springs F F and to the stops c' c. It will be perceived that onlyone spring and one stop are essential. The short ends of the catches `D D overlap the ends of the slot C when the long arms are against the stops.

If the face of the part A be placed against the face of the part A, the tongue B will have entered the slot C and pushed apart the short ends of the VcatchesD D, which, in turn, will have entered the notches b b', and the two parts will thus ,be locked together, but may be unlocked by depressing the slide Gin the manner described.

H is a pieceof leather covering the otherwise open ends of the` shell. The size of the piece H is suchthat it projects from the shell ,laterally, as shown at f f.

I is a block of wood applied to the back of the piece H. In form the piece H and block I correspond to the shell, as indicated.

In applying the coupling, when having a back like that now described, I insert the block I into thelower ends of the collar, the shells, the, piece H, and block I being first fastened together by means of screws J J, or other suitable or well-known fastenings. I may then either stitch the collar to the projecting edges of the piece H or .tack it to the block I, or se# cure the parts together both by stitching and Yby tacking but when Ido not make the connection by stitching the pieceV H is not essential.

The peculiar functions and advantages of the wooden blocks I I and leather pieces H H are as follows: The wooden blocks form a large and firm base, to which the ends of the collar may be firmly attached in the manner dei scribed; and if the holes in the leather or case of the collar through which the screws or other fastenings pass, become worn the screws may be passed through elsewhere and into other places in the blocks. This, however, can not be done if the collar is attached directly to the metallic shells unless numerous holes are made in the shells for that purpose. The leather pieces H H enable the user to sew the couplings to the collar; or he may use the fastenings above referred to for that purpose. When the collar is attached directly to the shells A and A neither the blocks I I nor the pieces H H are absolutely essential.

It will be perceived from the foregoing description, and from reference to the drawings, that the coupling may be made with facility, and that its parts may be very easily locked together and unlocked, and that it may be readily applied to the collar.

I am aware that horse-collar couplings have heretofore been made in which a single hook and a dowel or pin project from a plate on one end ofthe collar into a plate on the other end, and that the said hook is engaged by a springhook operating in the said other end in connection with a presser, and that two rigid hooks projecting from one plate into another engaged by a continuons or single bar operating in connection with a yielding presser, have heretofore been used in horse-collar couplings, and also that notched projections entering corresponding sockets have heretofore been used in connection with a double-acting overbelanced catch-bar in tubular horse-collar couplings; but I do not here intend to claim any of the said constructions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the shell portion A, having therein the single elongated slot C, the shell portion A', having thereon the broad tongue B, beveled at its corners, and having in its ends or lateral edges the notches b b', the angular catches D D, pivoted at their angles to the inner face of' the plate a, one or more springs,F F, and the slide Gr, bearing against the long arms ot' the said catches, in connection with a stop or bearing, whereby the said catches are held yieldingly, so as to overlap the ends of the slot C, and are adapted to be moved away from the said ends simultaneously by means ofthe said slide, and to be returned thereto by means of the said spring, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. rIhe combination of the blocks l I with the shell of a horse-collar coupling, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination of the blocks I I and leather pieces H H with the shell of a horsecollar coupling, substantially as and for thc purposes specified.

AMOS D. SHEPARD.

vWitnesses:

F. F. WARNER, H. FRANKFURTER. 

